Apparatus for recovering oil from oil-shale and other carbonaceous materials.



G. w. WALLACE.. APPARATUS FOR REVCQVEBING OIL FBOM SvHALE AND OTHERV CRBONCEOUS MATERIALS.

vAPFLICMTION FILED FEB. 8. |918.

Patented 00h29,'1918.

mfawm.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Pol

G. w. WALLACE.

APIARATUS FOR RFCOVERING OIL FROM OIL SHALE AND OTHER CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8. |918. l

oo'; LPmnml 001;. 29, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHFET 2.

G. W. WALLACE.

APPABATUS'FOR RECOVERING OIL FROM OIL SHALE AND OTMHER CARBONACEOUSMATERIALS.

APPLCATIO FILED FEB. 8.19l8.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

e. w. WALLACE.` AFPARATUS FORRECOVERING OIL FROM OIL SHALIE AND OTHER CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8. |918.

` 1,283,09@ Patented 0015.29, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

GEORGE w. WALLACE, or EAST ST. LoUIs, ILLINOIS, AssIGNon, BY MESNE AssIGN MENTS, To WALLACE COKE,V oIL AND lay-PRODUCTS COMPANY, or EAST ST. LouIs,

ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS Eon EEcovEEINe oIL PROM OIL-SHALE AND oTHEE cAEBoNAcEous MATERIALS.

To aZZ wkom t may concern B e 1t known that I, .GEORGE W. WALLACE', a-citizen o -f the United States, residing at East St. Louis, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Recovering Oil from Oil-Shale and other Carbonaceous Materia-ls, of which the following is a full, clear,.and exact descri .--tion, such as will enable others skilled in t e art to which it appertains to make and use y the same.

This invention relates to an apparatus for f recovering oil from oilv shale, bituminous coal and other carbonaceous materials.

The main object of my invention is to pro-j v lde a practicable apparatus of simple deslgn in which oil shale, bituminous coal and other carbonaceous materials can be distilled successfullyl so as'toeii'ect the recovery of the oil. contained in same.

Another object is to provide an apparatus for the purpose described, which is so constructedv that the parts of the retorts which requlre .frequent cleaning and also fthe parts of the retorts which are opened toefect the discharge of the 4residue from 'same are moved into and out of voperative position by a mechanism lof Simple design that is arranged above the retorts, thereby simplifying the construction of the apparatus and making it' possible-to provide the apparatus with an unobstructed vpit or chamber beneath the retorts into. which cars or trucks can vbe run so as to receive the residue discharge from the retorts.

p And stillanother object of' my invention to provide a distillingjapparat-us for carbo'- I naceous materials that consistsfof a vertically-*disposed retort sealed at-itsupper andV 40 ter of same a perforated take-ofi' duct whose' lowerends and v`having arranged at the cen- A l lower. end communicates with a pipe that leads to a suction-producing device, thereby insuring. the recovery or collection at the s ame polnt of bothl the' oil and the ases evolved in the distilling operation, the suc' tionpipebeing preferably connected tothe I lower end of the retort or take-offcduct in such a manner thatsaid pipe can be disconnected and moved into an lnoperative posi-y tion when it is desired to discharge the contents'of the retort or withdraw the take-0H lduct from same.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a verticalsectional View of an apparatus constructed in accordance withmy invention.

Fig. 2 1sa top plan View of said apparams, partly 'in horizontal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l.v

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the` "4f-4 vof Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a bottomplan view of the retort shown` in. Fig.- 4.-

' Patented @et 29, 1918:

Application leri February 3, 1918. Serial No. I215,971.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view, illustrating a `slight modification of' my invention; and

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view, taken l on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

lReferring to the drawings which illustrate'the preferred form of my invention,A designates a plurality of vertically-disposed l retorts that are adapted to be filled with oil shale, bituminous coal or other carbonaceous material that contains oil, said retorts being arrangedv above a pit or chamber B into which cars or trucks C can be run to receive the residue that is discharged from thev retorts, as hereinafter described. Any suitablev means'can be used for heating'the retorts A,"

but I prefer to provide 'the apparatus with a heating means con'slsting of a, gas producer D and a regenerator E combined in such a .manner that-'when the apparatus is in operation jets of gas and` highly heated air will be supplied through ports a and beto combustion chambers that surround the retorts A, the products ofv combustion which escape fromfthe combustion chambers 0c traveling through the regeneratqr, E,and thus heating the air that is Supplied to they-combustion chambers throughthe .ports b.

Each of the retorts A preferably consists of alcylindrical-shaped metal. shell 1 tapered slightly from its lower ytoward its upper` end and having its' upper end sealed or cut off from the atmosphere by means of a removable cover 2 and its lower end sealed or cut 0H" from the atmosphere b a removable bottomfplate 3. A take-oli uct F consisting of a perforated member of cylindrical formis arranged .atthe center of the to a point in proximity to the cover 2 that closes the uppei end of the retort, said takeolf duct being connected in any suitable manner to the bottom plate -3, as, tor example, by means vof bolts or fastening devices l that pass through said bottom plate and through a flange at the lower end of the take-oit' duct, as show-nin Fig. et. rlhe take-oti'duct F is preferably of uniform diameter throughout its entire length so that the annular space between the exterior of saine and the interior of the shell l that receives' the material being distilled, will diminish gradually in cross-sectional area from its lower toward its upper end, thereby causing the heat to penetrate through the material in the retort substantially uniformly, owing to the fact that the thickness of the body of material at the loweil end of the retort, where the heat is most intense, is greater than the thickness of the body oi material at the upper end of the retort, where the temperature is lower. The takefotl' duct F is provided at'its upper end with a removable, dome-shaped top portion f, and the side walls ot' the take-oft duct are provided with numerous orifices y, as shown in Fig. ,through which the oils and gases evolved in the distilling operation are drawn inwardly into the ta lie-ott duct by the suction produced by a suction device that is connected to the lower end or the take-ofiE duct. In the form of my invention herein shown the take-oft' duct F is arranged in vertical alinernent with a hole in the-hot-- tom plate 3 of the retort, and a suction p ipe that leads to a suction-producing device, is detachably connected tothe bottom plate 3 at a point in alineinent with the hole 5 therein. It is immaterial, so far as my invention is concerned, how the suction pipe 6 is detachably connected to the bottom plate 3 or' the retort, but I prefer to form said suction pipe in sections, the top section 6 being permanently connected to the bottom plate, as shown in Fig. el, and detachtit) ably connect-said sections together by bolts or other suitable fastening devices 6b, thus enabling the ,lower section of the suction pipe tolbe disconnected from the `upper section of the pipe and moved into such a position that it does not interfere with thel downward movement of the bottoni plate 3 The shell 1 of each retort is provided at its lower end with laterallyprojecting brackets 7 that rest upon supporting elements 8, preferably I-'beanis that span the.

pit or chamber B underneath the retorts, and the removable bottom plate 3 of the retort isl retained in operative position, asl

shown in Fig. 4, by means oi eye bolts 9 pivotall \y connectedl to the brackets 7 and provided with nuts 91 that are positioned underneath the bottom plate 3. Said bottom -platecan either be provided with holes through which bolts,l 9 pass, or said plate can be provided at its periphery with bifurcated lugs 9b so as to enable the bolts to be swung into and out of engagement with the bottom plate without removing the nuts 9 on said bolts. The cover 2 of the retort is also preferably retained in operative position by pivotally mounted eye bolts 9.

The bottom plates 3 of the retorts are adapted to be moved downwardly so as to effect the discharge of the residue from thev retorts and to completely withdraw the perforatedtake-oii' ducts from the retorts for cleaning, by means ot an overhead hoisting mechanism that is arranged above the-retorts. Various kinds ot hoisting mechanisms can be used for this purpose, but I prefer to use a ,hoisting mechanism that consists or' a movable frame G arranged above the retorts and provided with a pulley l0 over which a cable 11 passes. When it is desired to discharge the contents ot one of the retorts the cover 2 of said retort is first removed and thereafter a hook 1.4 on the cable 1l is hooked into an eye 12a on a. lcng rod l2 whose lower end is connected to a. portion 13(0n the bottom plate `3 otl the retort. After the suction pipe 6 has been disconnected and moved into the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 5 and the bottoni plate 3 disconnected from the retort, the cable ll is slaclred olf, so as to lower the bottom plate 3, and thus permit the residue to escape from the retort into a car C in the chamber B. lt it is desired to clean the take-oit' duct l?, the bottom plate 3 is moved downwardly far enough to conipletely withdraw the take-off duct from the retort. To restore the bcttoni plate and take-od duct to their former position it is only necessary to pull cnthe cable so as to move the vbottom plate upwardly, and thereafter secure said bottom plate in operative position by means of the eye bolts 9. .After the retort hasbeen filled with thematerial vto be distilled, the cover 2 is arranged in operative position so as toseal the upper end of the retort.

B y constructing the apparatus in the manner above described, Iam able to use a nicchanisin of simple form for discharging the retorts and' withdrawing the tale-oii' ducts JIfrom same, and I am also able to provide the apparatus with an unobstructed pit or chainloer under thev retorts into which cars can be run t0 receive the residue from the retoits and in which the operators can stand while cleaning the take-oit' ducts. Still another desirable feature of such anlapparatus is that the oil, as well as the gases that are evolved l during` the distilling operation, are 'recovered or collected at the. same point, owing to the tact that gravity causes the oil which enters the take-oli' duct to flow downwardly to an apparatus 7 of the drawings which illustrate a retort Lasaooo through same into the suction' pipe' 6 through take-oli' duct and the shell lof the retort is sealed at its upper and lower ends insures the gases traveling through the coolest portion j of the retort, namely,

ter take-olf duct, in

mwardly into the cenescaping from the retort. Consequently, all of the gases and vapors start to cool and condense immediately after they have been formed and remain in this condition in escaping `from the retort. While I 4have herein illustrated my invention embodied in an apparatus provided with a plurality of retorts, it wi1l,'of course, be understood that my broad idea isapplicable provided with a single retort. In a multiple retort apparatus, as herein shown, it is preferable to equip the apparatus with a suction manifold 6, as shown in Fig. 2, provided with a number of branches 6d, each of which has a plurality of suction pipes 6, each of the pipes 6 being so constructed that it can be swung horizontally out of vertical alinement with the retort with which it ooperates when it is desired to lower the bottom tort.

When treating certain kinds of substances or materials it isv 'dsirable to introduce 'steam into the retorts so as to increase the nitrogenous compounds and also assist in the v removal of the lighter hydrocarbons.- The steam can be injected into'the retorts in vari- 'ous ways, but one convenient way of accomplishing this is illustrated in Figs. 6 and whose bottom 3 is providedwith a plurality of vertically-disposed steam pipes 15 that project upwardly into the shell 1 of the retort, said pipes having orifices through which jets of steam escape. -The lower ends of the pipes 15 communicate with a header 16 on the bottom p-late 3 of the retort and the upper ends of said -pipes are connected to laterally-projecting brackets 17 on the take-0H duct F. 'In view of the fact that said steam pipes are carried by the bottom plate 3 they are withdrawn-from the retort when said bottom plate is moved downwardly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patd j ent, is: a

. 1. An apparatus for itlhe purpose described, provided with a vertically-disposed retort that is sealed at its upper and lower ends, a perforated take-olf duct arranged inside of said retort atthe center of same,

and -a suction pipe communicating with the lower end of said take-oil duct. V-

`2. An apparatus for the purpose' described, provided with apvertically-disposed retort that is sealed at its upper and lower ends, a perforated take-0E duct arranged plate of the re- Vside of said retort at the center of same, and

a suction pipe communicating with the lower end of vsaid take-olf duct, the side wall of said retort being tapered from its lower toward its uppervend and said take-oli' duct being of tubular form and of the same diameter throughout the vmajor portion of its l length; for the purpose described.

An4 apparatus for the purpose described, provided with a vertically-disposed retort that is sealed at its upper and lower ends, a perforated take-off duct arranged inside of said retort at the center of same, and a suction pipe communicating with the lower end ofsaid takeoH duct, said retort and take-olf duct -being of cylindrical form and the take-olf duct being closed at its upper end.

4.. An apparatus for the purpose described, provided with a verticallydisposed retort that' is sealed at its upper and lower ends, a perforated take-ofi duct arranged inside of said retort at the center of same, and a suction pipe communicatingwith the lower end of said take-ofi' duct,`,said take-off duct consisting of a cylindricaltshaped member provided with orifices andhaving its upper end closed by a dome-shaped 'port-ion. j

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a vertically-disposed retort, aremovn able bottom plate that forms a closure for the lower end of said retort, a perforated takeoff duct carried by said bottom plate, and a suction pipe arranged under said bottom plate in communication with the lower end of said takeoff duct and adapted to be swung laterally so as to permit said bottom plate to move downwardly.

In an apparatus of the character described, a cylindrical-shaped metal shell tapered from its lower toward it upper end, a

cylindrical-shaped, 4perforated take-oli' duct l of uniform diameter arranged inside of said shell, a removable cover at the upper end of `said retort, 'and a removable bottom plate at the lower end of said retort, the take-ctiv1 duct being mounted on said bottom plate, pivotally mounted devices on the retort for securing said cover and bottom plate 1n position, Vand va suction pipe detachably connected to said'bottom plate and communicating with the lower end of said take-olf uct.

7 An apparatus of the character described, provided with a vertically-disposed retort equipped with a removable bottomA plate, a perforated take-off duct arranged inside of said retort and having its lower end communicating with a suction pipe, and means arranged above vthe retort for lowering. and raising' said bottom plate. 8. In an apparatus of the character described, a vertically-disposed retort sealed at its upper and lower ends and provlded with a perforated takeoff duct whose lower end connn'unicates with a .suction device, a

pit or pllamber arranged underneath the, re-

tort, and means arranged above the retort tor dlschar uw the' contents of. same into said p1t an wltlidrau'inf;l lsaid take-ott' duet v from the retort.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, a vertieallydisposed retort provided 10. An apparatus for the purpose. de-` scribed, comprising a plurality o t vertie: \llydisposed retorts, each ol' winch is provided with a removable bottoni plate, pertorated take-ott' duets in the retorts mounted on said bottom plates, means tor beating the retorts, a pil or chamber nnderneat l1 the retorts, suc- .tion pipes in said pil detaeliabtv eonnected to the lower ends of the take-oil' duets of the retorts. and means above the retorts for lowering said bottom plates into sald pit.

11. ln an apparatus of the character deseribe L a retort whose upper end is sealed, a removable bottom plate that torlns a closure.

t'oitlie lower end'ot' said retort. a perforated take-ott' duet carried by said bottom plate and ll'avlng its lower end connected with .a

suction producing device, and devices ear-- ried bysaid bottom plate and projecting upwardly into the, retort for supplying steam to same. l

( l IC( )RUE W. WALLACE. 

